There is such a thing as bad press
I feel like the only thing I’ve written since we arrived in Australia has been various bitching and moaning about not having an internet connection. Well, from today I’m going to endeavor to move back to the eclectic, if underwhelming, ramblings to which you’ve become accustomed here at afreeman.org
One of the luxuries in which I’ve indulged in my weeks of unemployment is the proper digestion of a daily newspaper. In my days as a productive member of society, I rarely had time to do more than scan the headlines (and examine Page 3 of The Sun in some depth). But in these halcyon days, once Z goes down for a nap I can sit down with a cup of coffee and a fat newspaper for at least 24 good minutes of news consumption. The problem, beyond my son’s tendencies to incredibly short naps, is that the papers in Australia are rubbish.
Now, I knew Rupert Murdoch came from Adelaide and so didn’t expect much from the heart of his empire, The Advertiser. And I didn’t get much - it’s essentially a tabloid in newspaper’s clothing with an unapologetic right wing agenda. The writing is poor and the editing even worse. A branching out was in order. Yesterday I picked up The Australian, a national newspaper. In fact it declares itself “The Heart of the Nation”. I’m here to to report that Australia is in need of a cardiac bypass.
First, a bit of background - the new Labour government in Oz just released their first budget. One of the new taxes that has caused a bit of controversy is an increase on the excise on “alcopops” (Bacardi Breezers and their ilk). Labour claims that this tax is designed to reduce binge drinking in teenager - their (probably correct) assumption being that the only people who would be caught drinking a Bacardi Breezer would be a fourteen year old girl. The opposition, and misnamed, Liberals claim that it’s just a tricky tax hike.
Here’s the lead from a page one story in yesterday’s Australian:
“Drinkers are already turning to full-strength bottled spirits as the Rudd Government’s tax slug on pre-mixed drinks bites, the liquor industry reports.”
Crikey, if I may use the local parlance, that’s a lead. Let’s leave aside the bizarre dialect of English they speak in the press room of The Australian. When I did my brief stint as a newsman, rule one that was pounded into me was that I was an objective observer; that my job was to report the facts in an unbiased manner. That does not appear to be the policy in the newsroom of The Australian. The lead sentence is clearly written to espouse the paper’s opinion. If you were unfortunate enough to read the rest of the story, there are no statistics or figures reported that support the authors’ claims. The only source cited are liquor company executives.
The story may very well be true. The problem is that that seems neither here nor there to the authors. This is little more than a rewriting of a press release by liquor companies. It’s shocking and lazy journalism.
Maybe this is what happens after decades of Murdoch’s shady influence on the press - it all gets reduced to the lowest common denominator. That has certainly been the case in television news in The States and is becoming the case in the U.K. Maybe our expectations as media consumers has been reduced to the point were this kind of unbalanced journalism is acceptable.
Maybe I need to get a job…
Popularity: 10% [?]
Damn man. It’s scary to think what some people consider to be “real news”. At least you get 24 minutes of blissful page-turning. That’s gotta be something, right?
Not Afraid To Use It’s last blog post..MIL Monday: The Wedding Dance
20 May 2008 at 3:17 am
Hey, we just had our own “alcopops” controversy here in Utah! Instead of wasting time debating health care or education, our Legislature passed a bill moving said alcopops from supermarkets to the state liquor store. Why? Because alcopops are a gateway drug! And they are right - remember those horrible wine coolers we drank in high school - before moving on the equally vile but way more cool Southern Comfort?
20 May 2008 at 4:21 am
1) We all need to vent every once in awhile, and a blog is probably one of the better forums to do so in.
2) Nice post, and I think you bring up some very good questions about the state of the news media. Something for my mind to chew on.
Matthew’s last blog post..Movie Review: Iron Man
20 May 2008 at 4:35 am
Maybe that’s a really good sign if pre-mixed drinks are the pressing issue of the moment. No war, no tornados or earthquakes of MD… sounds like Adelaide is a fine place to have a pulse.
Hezamarie’s last blog post..a German take on American food
20 May 2008 at 7:10 am
what about Bill King …is it still on the back page of the sunday mail (i think)
hope you guys are on line soon…i miss the photos of zach
auntie aish
20 May 2008 at 8:11 am
Don’t get me (the Missouri journalism major) started on Australian newspapers…
Every morning I sit there and scoff. Some of the editorial decisions are really unbelievable. The worst part is the Australian is my preferred paper to the Sydney Morning Herald. Now I know why no one here is very enthusiastic when I tell them what I’m studying.
Brittany’s last blog post..Autumn in Sydney and a Theory
20 May 2008 at 11:42 am
Here in Alabama our State Senate just spent valuable time and money deciding if we should be able to buy “gourmet beers” in our state. Seriously. We can only sell beer with a certain amount of alcohol in it. I’m so glad they spent their limited work hours debating something of such grave import. There’s a very funny (and embarassing) audio clip on youtube of the actual debate.
Jessica K’s last blog post..Snippets part 5
20 May 2008 at 4:20 pm
Chris, your future is in journalism.
20 May 2008 at 4:31 pm
I absolutely hate hate HATE reading something that’s supposed to be professional and finding it sounding confusing, choppy, and making no sense at all. Personal blogs are one thing, but reading a professional article and finding it filled with mistakes just makes me want to slap someone!
You are absolutely right! Especially here in the United States, we no longer have an original thought on anything. We have let the media take over and tell us exactly what we want to hear, and we really don’t seem to care. We show backbone and opposition in spurts, like someone took away our kool-aid, but we settle in quickly enough once they give it back. It’s pathetic, really. We accept anything as news or entertainment. Freaking bunch of lemmings that we are.
20 May 2008 at 4:47 pm
They don’t call them “rags” for nothing, eh?
Gypsy’s last blog post..All by myself
20 May 2008 at 8:10 pm
Nah, I’d prefer that you continue to bitch from Australia instead of get a job. Please.
You know, I’ve often wondered what Rupert Murdoch’s politics are really like. On one hand, he started the uber-right wing Fox News, but on the other hand, look at the programming on the Fox network. Some of those shows are not exactly conservative. I think he found a niche and ran with it, which makes him a brilliant businessman but a blight on journalism.
courtney’s last blog post..Monday Evening: A Photo Story
20 May 2008 at 11:17 pm
pre-mixed liquor drinks = no class
that stuff should be taxed to the skies
Vol Abroad’s last blog post..Best television in the world
21 May 2008 at 7:43 am
would you like me to send the Guardian over?
21 May 2008 at 8:54 am
Sadly, I cringe with shame at the mention of our press. I second Nathan…..maybe the job you need to get is in journalism!!
arizaphale’s last blog post..Best Shot Monday: A Boy and His Cat
21 May 2008 at 2:30 pm